How We See The World

All washed up: former playboys Kurt and Jack hang out at the beach Last updated at 13:02pm on 23rd July 2007 Comments (2) They were Hollywood hot property in their prime, but Jack Nicholson and Kurt Russell have both proved that their days of being lusted after are over. They may have been soaking up the sun in different parts of the globe - The Departed star took to the sand during a visit to St Tropez, while Russell, 56, was holidaying with his long term partner Goldie Hawn in Greece - but both sported a remarkably similar, not to mention undesirable, looks. Scroll down for more Weighty issues: Kurt Russell and Jack Nicholson show off their bell…

Residents turned away from rubbish sites unless they can prove they live locally By DAVID DERBYSHIRE Householders are being turned away from rubbish tips unless they can prove they are local residents. The crackdown is among measures brought in by local authorities to stop businesses and builders using "civic amenity sites" and recycling centres intended only for domestic waste. But critics say the restrictions make it "pointlessly difficult" for householders to dispose of their rubbish responsibly and will lead to more flytipping. They come as hundreds of councils have introduced fortnightly bin collections to save money and force residents into recycling mo…

Domestic abuse victim was 'forced to get into dog basket' Last updated at 16:40pm on 24th July 2007 Comments A 27-year-old subjected to degrading and prolonged cruelty at the hands of her former partner hopes her case will help other women. Caroline Morris has praised the police for giving her the confidence to go to court and give evidence against her tormentor, ex-partner Paul Lidford, after an abusive relationship lasting more than five years. Lidford was jailed by Mold Crown Court after it heard that he would force her to get into a dog basket and subjected her to other cruel acts. Miss Morris, a residential child care officer, said: "I am very grat…

Race to rescue flood victims running out of food and drinking water Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink! by DAVID DERBYSHIRE - More by this author » Last updated at 08:29am on 23rd July 2007 Comments (7) Thousands of flood victims were trapped in their homes and running out of fresh water and food. Emergency services battled to help them in scenes that could have come from a third world disaster. Fears that mains water supplies could be cut for up to three days in some areas sparked panic-buying of bottled water Soldiers and firemen delivered food parcels and set up soup kitchens in towns cut off by some of the worst flooding in 5…

Binge-drinking teenage girls knock back more alcohol than boys By SAM GREENHILL - More by this author » Last updated at 23:44pm on 22nd July 2007 Comments Shock:Teenage girls drinking more than boys Teenage girls are regularly knocking back more alcohol than boys, a survey has revealed. Nearly a quarter of girls aged between 14 and 15 admit they get drunk at least once a week, compared with a fifth of boys. They are typically choosing drinks with a higher alcohol content, such as spirits, over wine and beer, which boys favour. The research is likely to fuel concerns over the Government's failure to curb heavy drinking among teenagers, wh…

Two former England footballers have been arrested in connection with the taking of a limousine. Rob Lee, 38, and Warren Barton, 41, were held after the Mercedes E220 saloon was taken from Hackney Road, east London, on Tuesday night. The car was found abandoned in the same road, having collided with a van. The ex-Newcastle United stars were later arrested at two addresses. They were released on police bail on Wednesday until September. They are being held over allegations of taking a vehicle and driving while unfit. Officers are also investigating reports that a satellite navigation system and a mobile phone were stolen from the vehicle. Lee, from West …

The sun - as you've never seen it before By NIALL FIRTH - More by this author » Last updated at 11:15am on 25th July 2007 Comments (2) A stunning new image of the sun has been released by NASA which shows it as an almost perfect sphere, glowing a fiery red and orange in the pitch-black of space. It is almost spotless, a sign that the Sun may have reached solar minimum. Scientists are now watching for the first spot of the new solar cycle to appear. The 11 year long solar cycle is marked by two extremes, solar minimum and solar maximum. Solar minimum is the period of least solar activity in the solar cycle of the sun. During this time the sun becomes muc…

BBC staff are sent on courses to learn they shouldn't lie By BENEDICT BROGAN - More by this author » Last updated at 00:09am on 25th July 2007 Comments BBC bosses have been accused of wasting licence-fee money on teaching their staff not to lie. The decision to send 16,500 employees on an "integrity" course in the wake of the fake TV shows scandal was condemned by MPs. Two of the corporation's top executives appeared before a Commons committee investigating the affair. Director general Mark Thompson is on a family holiday, so his deputy Mark Byford and chief operating officer Caroline Thomson were asked to explain how viewers were deceived by a st…

Drunken yobs making town centres into no-go areas By JAMES SLACK - More by this author » Last updated at 00:36am on 24th July 2007 Comments Drunken thugs are turning town centres into no-go areas after dark, MPs warn. They act like "an occupying army loose in the streets" and the mayhem they cause costs the country £3.4billion every year. Now the Public Accounts Committee is demanding drastic action against the yobs who regard Asbos as "part and parcel of everyday life". One offender breached the terms of his order 25 times while committing 271 criminal offences, according to a committee report. Scroll down for more... Night on the town: Poli…

Remembrance Day parade scrapped for first time in 60 years over 'health and safety' fears By JAYA NARAIN - More by this author » Last updated at 15:54pm on 24th July 2007 Comments It is a quintessential part of being British: that in towns and cities up and down the country people march to commemorate the war dead on Remembrance Sunday. But the parades that take place the length and breadth of the land could soon be a thing of the past thanks to the latest ruling from health and safety officials. New guidelines are being introduced by police and councils which could spell an end to the tradition - by making the parades too expensive to hold. Scroll dow…

OAP couple who scooped £2.4m on Lottery are going to buy... new knees Last updated at 16:42pm on 24th July 2007 Comments An OAP couple who scooped £2.4m on the lottery plan to celebrate their win - with knee replacement operations. Retired cabbie Tony Dodds, 67, and his wife Greta, 69, have both decided to use their windfall to pay for private surgery. The couple, from Wallasey, Merseyside, also plan to buy a new house - and won't have to worry about struggling up the stairs. Golf fan Mr Dodd said he was already looking forward to bounding up the dunes of nearby Royal Birkdale next year when the course hosts the 2008 Open Golf Championship. The Dodd…

Residents face fines for failing to 'protect' bin bags from seagulls By EMILY ANDREWS - More by this author » Last updated at 16:18pm on 24th July 2007 Comments (2) Rita Roberts says there wasn't a problem before Serco insisted householders put out bags instead of collecting bins When a private waste disposal firm took over her local rubbish collection, Rita Roberts feared the service could not get much worse. They had already ordered residents to leave black bags at the front of houses rather than in bins at the rear, enabling animals and seagulls to rip them open festooning the pavements with litter. So it was the last straw for Mrs Roberts, 72, w…

UFO sightings bring town to a standstill Last updated at 15:23pm on 24th July 2007 Comments A crowd of 100 stunned stargazers brought a town centre to a standstill when five mysterious UFOs were spotted hovering in the sky. Drinkers spilled out of pubs, motorists stopped to gawp and camera phones were aimed upwards as the five orbs, in a seeming formation, hovered above Stratford-Upon-Avon for half an hour. The unidentified flying objects lit up the otherwise clear night sky above Shakespeare's birthplace in Warwickshire on Saturday. Although Air Traffic Control reported no unusual activity, some witnesses were convinced they were witnessing an extra-te…

Witches win court case in shopping centre name-change row Last updated at 16:38pm on 23rd July 2007 Comments (2) Witches (and wizards) believe that the High Cross Quarters are sacred times in the year A coven of witches was claiming victory in its battle to get the name of a £350 million shopping centre changed. They were outraged when developer Hammerson called the Leicester project - a huge extension of the city's Shires malls - the Highcross Quarter. It is also the title for sacred times in the wicca calendar and the group of Leicestershire witches had already set up a website with the same name. Wicca is a alternative sect which is said to be…

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Starvation diets of schoolgirls striving for supermodel size By LAURA CLARK - More by this author » Last updated at 21:22pm on 23rd July 2007 Comments Role model: Nicole Richie Teenage girls routinely go without breakfast and lunch as they desperately seek to emulate skinny models and celebrities, a major survey reveals. Research into the lifestyles of 70,000 schoolchildren shows the extent to which girls are risking their health in search of an impossible dream. Forty per cent of 14 and 15-year-old girls had either nothing or just a drink for breakfast. Many also went without lunch. More than half believed they needed to slim, even though onl…

Schoolgirl's church hall party trashed by mob of 500 By JAYA NARAIN - More by this author » Last updated at 21:46pm on 22nd July 2007 Comments (1) With the church hall booked and sandwiches and soft drinks on hand, Natalie Allen was looking forward to celebrating her 14th birthday. But the small party with family and friends turned to mayhem when up to 500 drunken youths gatecrashed it after details of the event were posted on the Internet. The teenagers turned out laden with alcohol and drugs when an invitation sent out by Natalie through an online messaging service found its way on to an Internet party messageboard. Scroll down for more ... Part…

All hail the British summer: Freak weather batters the UK By DAVID DERBYSHIRE - More by this author » Last updated at 00:31am on 4th July 2007 Comments Just when you thought the weather couldn't get any worse, Britain was bombarded with huge hailstones yesterday. As thunder and lightning swept across the UK, an inch of rain fell in less than an hour in parts of England, overwhelming drains and triggering floods. At the peak of the storm, parts of the country were peppered with hailstones the size of 50p pieces. Battersea in South London was blanketed in white in a scene more like winter than the height of summer. Scroll down for more... The sn…

Women over 28 should bin their mini-skirts, study shows Last updated at 12:13pm on 20th July 2007 Comments (2) At 33, Kate Moss is seen as 'too old' to wear a mini skirt Red-blooded men of all ages have loved the mini-skirt since its introduction in the 1960s and rarely complain about a good pair of legs on display. But for women it seems there's a definite cut-off point when it comes to the skimpy garment. A new survey has found that women believe miniskirts should be consigned to the bottom drawer, never to be worn again, when they hit the ripe old age of 28. And it's not just skirts that women turn their nose up at a certain age - the study of …

Children as young as five to be fingerprinted in schools Last updated at 15:40pm on 23rd July 2007 Comments (8) Schools are to get the Government's permission to fingerprint all pupils. Ministers will issue guidance telling them they have the right to install fingerprint scanners and collect biometric data from children as young as five. The data could be used to monitor school attendance, control lunch queues and help with the issuing of library books. Scroll down for more ... This fingerprint scanner has been installed at Holland Park School in west London in a bid to cut truancy The move is likely to anger opposition MPs and civil lib…

Children banned from using swimming pool armbands amid health and safety fears Last updated at 12:55pm on 23rd July 2007 Comments Swimming pools like this face a raft of health and safety rules A council has banned its leisure centres from lending rubber rings and armbands to swimmers amid health and safety fears. Blowing up the inflatables by mouth is considered too risky for spreading germs and unseen punctures might lead to an accident. Bournemouth Borough Council in Dorset has imposed the ban following professional guidelines from The Institute of Sport and Recreation Management. The council-run swimming pools in Littlewood, Stokewood and Kinso…

Teenagers get lessons in working in call centres By PAUL SIMS - More by this author » Last updated at 15:50pm on 23rd July 2007 Comments (2) Pupils at a secondary school are being taught how to sell mobile phone contracts and answer complaints in an on-site call centre. The students, who are aged between 15 and 16, are trained to deal with queries from computer-generated customers in a specially-adapted classroom. The course, which is worth half a GCSE, was set up last year with the help of EDF Energy which runs its own call centre a couple of miles away from the school. Those behind it say the scheme was designed to give final year students a wid…

Record numbers of children prescribed anti-depressants By DUNCAN ROBERTSON - More by this author » Last updated at 10:22am on 23rd July 2007 Comments (1) The number of school children prescribed anti-depressants and mind-altering drugs has more than quadrupled in the last decade, it has emerged. New figures show GPs are prescribing pills in record numbers to combat stress, violent behaviour and even tiredness. Under-16s were given drugs for mental health problems more than 631,000 times in the last year, compared to just 146,000 in the mid-Nineties. The steady increase in the use of anti-depressants over the last 10 years has been blamed on famil…

Why every single woman needs a friendly man to take her to parties By ANNA PASTERNAK - More by this author » Last updated at 08:56am on 23rd July 2007 Comments As every single woman (or worse, the newly single woman) knows, there is no greater sinking feeling than the prospect of going to a party alone. For one of the perks of having a steady partner is the sure-fire knowledge and abject relief that you have a date on tap. Scroll down for more... Walk-on parts: Julia Roberts with Rupert Everett (left), stars of the film The Walker, Lauren Bacall and Woody Harrelson (centre) and Elton John with Princess Diana As a 40-year-old single divorcee,…

Mother invented 17 children to collect £30,000 in benefits A mother who conned £30,000 in benefits by inventing 17 children has been spared jail as she suffers from post-natal depression and is pregnant with her third child. Charlene Ostle claimed that by the age of 26 she had given birth to three sets of twins and two sets of triplets. At one point Ostle became so confused she told officials she had given birth to five children in three months. At Carlisle Crown Court the barmaid, of Dearham, Cumbria, admitted nine charges of fraudulent activity between December 2003 and September 2006. Recorder Arthur Noble said he was sparing her prison as an act of me…